Feeding 16hh thoroughbred 10yr old

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mushting

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I'm new to horse ownership and buying a horse which has his vetting on Friday I think hes a bit on the skinny side
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hes currently on

he is on extra care mix and chaff from countrywide .



he has 1/2scoop twice a day



in hard winter he has chaff,build up mix , sugabeet and conditioning nuts



with unlimited hay



and rugs on do you think this is enough for him?

Thanks

 
I think he is looking poor and not very fit, he has no muscle to speak of especially on his topline and quarters, is he in work? how old is he?
I would start by worming, getting teeth done and turning out on good grass although it is not the best time of year for that.
Adlib forage and a high fibre feed, not mix that is obviously doing no good, oil for calories or linseed with vits and mins by supplement or a balancer, he may have reasons for failing to look good after a summer that for most has been an easy one to come out of in good condition but be careful about stuffing loads of starchy, sugary feed into a horse while you are getting to know him, most will thrive on a simple high fibre and oil diet if they are healthy.
 
Any obvious problems should be picked up and is why a vetting is so important, he may just be lacking muscle due to little regular work and if she has no time he may be missing out on much needed attention, so good grub inside him may see an improvement fairly quickly.
Hope the vetting goes well but do not be totally surprised or too disappointed if something does show up.
 
Thanks, if it goes well and we buy him is it best to not ride him whilst we are feeding him up? Also for his breed he was very quiet docile very placid Im worried that he may suddenly change and get all fizzy if hes feeling sorry for himself now is it likely that personality will change? Thanks
 
I would ride him but very quietly, lots of steady walking to build him up, his personality may change as he feels better but by keeping some exercise going along with the building up you are getting to know him so any changes will be less obvious and should have less impact.
 
I'd highly recommend alltech lifeforce to help, my gelding (a 10 year old TB) is out 24/7 and just gets half a scoop of Dengie hi-Fi lite, lifeforce and boswellia... He looks great. I'm not suggesting this diet to you, but lifeforce is excellent and helps them get as much out of their feed as possible, it's also fab for gut health. Best of luck!
 
mushting said:
Thanks, if it goes well and we buy him is it best to not ride him whilst we are feeding him up? Also for his breed he was very quiet docile very placid Im worried that he may suddenly change and get all fizzy if hes feeling sorry for himself now is it likely that personality will change? Thanks
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I recently bought a horse similar so was in the same position as you. I fed her on calm and condition for 2 weeks when I got her and she looked SO good from it and it helped her with the transition. Brought her home, put her in the field.. she ran and ran and jumped and went crazy - I thought this was a very bad sign but no she was really happy. for the first 2 days I left her to it and just fed her and went up to speak to her, the first week I groomed her. Then started just riding in walk round her field... and progressed down to the road for a hack - she was VERY excitable so would suggest walking them on the lead for the first time until you know the horse. Then took her for her first lesson two weeks in I think it was and she was a star...! Feeding her initially definitely helped us to bond and spending most of my time with her on the ground was awesome.

My pony looks similar to yours and my vet said to feed a balancer to improve condition... I am currently trying the top spec balancer but don't see a great improvement if i'm honest. I know my vet said to now avoid usig conditioning mixes as they are too rich and seen as a quick fix apparently - she prefers 'gradual goodness' and to keep rugged up now so she puts on more weight and wont need to be clipped in winter.

Lunging is a good way to excersize your horse in the first few weeks as it helps them get to know your voice and builds muscle without chancing anything risky that may work him up.

Also on the feed advice I use Baileys outshine (purely cos it was on offer but shhh!) But been told its great stuff to give a horse that needs topline building as it is oily.

I hope some of this helps! In summary - a feed balancer, an oily supplement, excersize and a routine and getting to know the horse and giving him time rather than rushing everything is my advice and it worked wonders with me as shes my best friend and hasn't put a foot wrong since I got her.
 
try bailey's no 4, I had my TB on that for 2 weeks, 2 stubbs scoops twice a day, with speedi beet and 50ml corn oil, by the end of the 2 weeks I could see a difference. I've now slowed it down a bit to include grass nuts and have moved to heygates conditioning nuts as they are a bit cheaper so now he gets:

AM 2 scoops conditioning nuts
1/2 scoop soaked speedi beet
50ml corn oil

PM 1 scoop conditioning nuts
1/2 scoop soaked speddi beets
1 scoop soaked grass nuts

ad lib haylage

Like so many posts above, yes, he's lacking attention and needs some TLC, time will only tell if there's something else...what sort of grazing has he had in the summer? If my chap hasn't got copious amounts of lush grass he needs to be given extra, so your TB could well be the same and could well explain the lack of condition.
 
As spaceflower says Baileys no 4 is good. 2 scoops twice a day, I give a scoop of sugarbeet and a scoop of something like Alfa A Oil as well am and pm. I do think you can take it too slowly with some horses especially if you're starting to feed him up it may be controversial but I would leave him atleast a week (however long it takes you to get to know him and what you're dealing with) on the exact feed he is currently on, changing homes, no work and a load of feed could create a neurotic fire breathing horse! Some tb's are really quiet and laid back so it might just be how he is rather than lack of condition or not feeling good. IMO you can't beat a nice tb so good luck with the vetting and let us know how it goes!
 
yeah squeak is right, give him a week to settle in, keep him on his current feed but ensure ad lib hay/grass so he never has an empty belly. Then reassess in a week and start to gradually change/add to his feed. Oil is a really great way of upping the calories without adding to the volume of the feed.

My chap is a sweat heart - he's on a yard with a big shire/cob cross and a young welsh mare, and he's easily the easiest to handle (except for clipping) he has his moments when he remembers he's a race horse and its what he does best, but when the time comes would easily consider another full TB - intelligent, agile and funny ;)
 
I brought home a bony Barry (16.1hh 8 -now 9-y/o TB) in May. Threw him out (kind heartedly :p) in the field with happy hoof and spillers original balancer and he put the weight on in a few weeks. Wish I'd got proper photos of before and after. Barry is a beach donkey 99% of the time, I'm not entirely convinced everything I was told about him is true, but one thing definitely is- you can get on after 3 weeks without being ridden and he's exactly the same as if you'd been riding him 6 days a week. So your lad being quiet could just be his temperament, as Squeak said.
 
I bought underweight tb 4yr old he only weighed 420 an is now weighing in at 465 ,Ive fed fast fibre calm and condition and alfa alfa. I would suggest fast fibre if you intend to ride him straight away and add calm condition as his work load increases that way you wont get major energy explosions. I fed as much hay as he could eat and added oil, recently Ive changed to alfa with oil but its proved to much with my youngster he became very anxious . High fibre is best for new horse or youngster to keep a level head.
 
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